Team Member Spotlight: KimArie Yowell

KimArie Yowell is a career coach, life-long learner and our Chief Learning Officer. Since her start at Rocket Mortgage^® in 2013, she’s made an incredible impact on the growth and development of our team members and leaders and has created programs that inspire mentorships, career advancement and interactive learning. Meet KimArie and learn more about her story!

KimArie was raised by her grandparents on the west side of Detroit. From a young age, KimArie’s grandmother taught her the importance of education and involved her in a number of extracurricular activities, from computer programs to chess club. Her grandma would say, “Education can open the door to the world.” Little did KimArie know how much these words would influence her career journey and the joy and drive she has for learning.

After KimArie graduated from Cass Technical High School, she attended Wayne State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and advertising. She would go on to receive a master’s degree in education and executive MSA and MBA degrees.

Shortly after college, KimArie left Detroit and accepted a job with the University of Phoenix. During her career there, she held a number of roles, but she found her true passion working with adult students. Seeing the difference she could make in their lives had a profound impact on her and she decided to dedicate her life to career coaching. This realization took her back to her childhood and her grandmother’s words: “Education can open the door to the world.”

In the summer of 2013, KimArie received a call from a friend who was working with one of our leaders. Even though her friend didn't work for Rocket Mortgage, she boasted about our culture and encouraged KimArie to apply for an open leadership coaching position.

 After reading about our company philosophies, the ISMs, and meeting with our leaders, KimArie accepted the position, packed up and moved her family back to her hometown of Detroit.

As a leadership coach on our Mortgage Banking team, KimArie was focused on coaching new leaders and building out professional development programs. From there, her career quickly advanced, and 8 months after her start date, she was promoted to Director of Coaching. About a year and a half later, she received another promotion to Senior Director of Talent Development.

Finally, in 2018, KimArie reached another career milestone, a promotion to Vice President of Talent Development.

“What helped me get here? My mindset. I never looked at myself as just a team member. I looked at myself as a leader. I felt empowered. I was solution focused. If I saw things that needed to be improved, I made recommendations. I believe it’s important that we’re solution providers, not just problem finders.”

In September 2020, KimArie reached the peak of her career – a promotion to Chief Learning Officer. As our Chief Learning Officer, she’s responsible for the growth and development of every team member and leader within our organization.  Alongside her team, she heads up leadership development, team member development, talent management and performance management.

Back in 2013, when KimArie started at Rocket Mortgage, we only had leadership development programs. Today, we have a myriad of programming focused on team member and leadership development programs. Here are just a few of the innovative programs that she launched:

Inside Out provides training and information on how to identify and respond to signs of mental illness/distress and raise our level of awareness around mental health.

Ignite is a 1-day program that inspires team members to utilize the skills and knowledge they already have to achieve incredible things in their careers.

Z Games is an immersive and interactive scavenger hunt through the city of Detroit. Leaders engage in fast-paced games, tie threads and build relationships. After a day full of competitive action, the winning team is awarded and celebrated. 

Red Door Project pairs mentees with our most senior leaders, creating new connections and growth opportunities.

Aspiring Leaders Program offers team members a critical look at their leadership strengths and opportunities. They gain knowledge on leadership theory, training, experiential learning and mentoring.

Leader To Leader invests in the growth and development of our senior leadership and increases their overall effectiveness by fostering greater trust, connection and awareness. 

Leader Launch orients new leaders to our company standards of leadership and coaching fundamentals, such as how to have difficult conversations and the legal knowledge critical to leadership decision-making.

If you want to change careers but you’re not sure where to start, check out KimArie’s advice, “First off, identify what you enjoy doing. What gets you excited? What do others see as your strengths? Determine what you’re good at and where you get your energy from. Then write down your plan and where you want to go, but be flexible and take advantage of opportunities.”  

Many people told KimArie that she would be good at teaching, and that’s exactly what she’s doing today: providing educational opportunities for people to grow and thrive in their careers.

Just like KimArie, you can find your purpose. Whether you’re looking for a new job or a new career path, we have a number of open positions and a supportive team who can help you discover your true potential.